When it comes to your legacy, you hope that your actions are at least good enough to block out the other actions that you aren’t too proud of. You wish to end it on your terms, with the sunset facing ever forward. Life doesn’t tend to work out like that, but the fantasy is there. In 1990, when Michael Corleone thought he was out, he was pulled back in The Godfather Part III.

With Michael Corleone now in old age, the legacy of his criminal actions still looms over him. Now he wants to step aside to provide a peaceful retirement for his family, especially his daughter, Mary. Problems relating to the most unlikely of places risk Michael’s exit strategy. Real-world and fictional tribulations will come to a head. In what would being the final instalment of the Corleone saga.

The gang films have certainly been upended with the recent instalments, no small part due to the legacy left by the first two Godfathers. There has been a sea of imitators and proteges. III still shows that the franchise can stand on its own. While the tales of the Corleone family were supposed to be wrapped up in part 2, with its prequel sequel combination, financial pressure brought Coppola back in when he thought he was out. It is interesting seeing the later years of the criminal enterprise being shown through the eyes of the Corleone family. Taking both the rumours and stories from the latter half of the century of crime, complained with some good old-fashioned gangster scenes, that are a part and parcel of the genre.

Despite the decade and a half, most of the familiar faces (who have survived the last two films) make a return. Both Al Pacino and Diane Keaton return to this ultimate send-off. We have some newcomers to reflect the passage of time, like Joe Mantegna, who, if his appearances in The Simpsons didn’t tip you off, is an excellent fit as Joey Zasa. We see Mary all grown up, too. It would have been nice to see Winona Ryder or the late Rebecca Schaeffer, but carrying on from her cameo as an infant, Sofia Coppola steps in as Mary once again.

The Godfather Part III’s biggest issue is that it has to live with following both The Godfather and its sequel. On its own, The Godfather III would have been a perfectly enjoyable entry in a tale about an aged gangster being brought back in. Dealing with both the truth and the legend in the later years of the Cosa Nostra. At least this combination offers some entertainment value and a chance for some newer faces to shine. The franchise does have an ending, not opting to refuse the offer to end on its terms.

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